Naruto Shippuuden 20: A Time To Sow
by rylansato
Summary: Fifteen years ago a stranger appeared in Konoha with a letter of dire urgency but the letter came a bit too late to save his doomed village. Years later, Aoba and his team encounter the last of the villagers from the illfated village.
1. Two Months Too Late

Naruto Shippuuden: A Time to Sow

Though it was not unusual for him to be called to his office at such an irregular hour, Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato was still surprised at the summons. Not only was he surprised but he was a bit annoyed. He had just fallen asleep and then when he was summoned he tried his best to keep from waking Kushina but that didn't do any damn good because since she's been pregnant, she's been waking up at the slightest whisper. He did wonder what could possibly be so pressing at this hour. After finally drifting off was when Shiranui Genma appeared to request his appearance. Genma knew that it was late and would not have intruded on his private time unless he believed it was a matter for his attention. Whatever it was that prompted him to show up, it must be quite important.

_Of course, _Minato thought to himself, _further questions would serve no purpose. My questions will be answered in short order._

Minato arrived to the main gates where Shiranui Genma, Yamanaka Inoichi and two ANBU members stood, surrounding a body that lied on the ground. This guy looked in his late twenties early thirties and no village affiliation. None that was visible anyway.

"_Obviously, this couldn't wait." _Minato thought.

"Report." He said.

One of the ANBU members walked over to the Fourth Hokage.

"According to the traffic reporters, this man reached the village and dropped to the ground just inside the gates. He died from exhaustion and it looks like he was in battle before due to the wounds covering his body. He was carrying these."

He held out his hand that held a forehead protector and a document.

Minato took the items and inspected them over. The forehead protector had two cylinder shaped symbols on it and each cylinder had a point on each end and lines going down from one end to another making look almost 3D. Minato knew where this man was from. He was from the Hidden Crystal Village.

Minato opened the door to his office that was just appointed to him only days prior after taking the title of Hokage. Genma was right behind him. The ANBU members and Inoichi took the body to the morgue to be examined.

"What do we know about Hidden Crystal?" Minato asked.

"It used to be one of the smaller hidden villages, North on one of the islands above Hidden Waterfall. It's a pretty far distance from the mainland to that island. Due to seismic activity in that region the island eventually sank below sea level." Genma said. "One of their Kekki Genkai's is the hidden chakra."

"Oh the bloodline that makes a person think that the people who possess this bloodline do not have any chakra."

Genma nodded.

Minato looked at the document lying on his desk. He had yet to open it. It wasn't addressed to anyone in particular but it was probably important, important enough for a man to die for it. He reached over and opened the document.

_To whom it may concern,August 8_

_Our island is undergoing severe seismic activity and threatens to destroy the island itself. Village specialists predict that the island will sink below sea level in approximately one month. We appreciate any assistance that can be offered to help us off this island. Please help us._

_Kosaku Oki, Kurikage_

"How long would it take to get up there, if we send a team now?"

"About a week." Genma said.

"So, that leaves us three….." Minato stopped

"What is it, Hokage-sama?"

Minato practically slammed the document on his desk and put his hand to his eyes. "This letter was written in August and it's now October. That was two months ago."

Genma let out a defeated sigh. "I wonder why it took so long to reach us."

The Fourth shook his head. "I don't know, Genma."

"We could send a recon team up there to ascertain the fate of the island."

Minato nodded. It was a logical suggestion, and one that Minato first supported. However, this would involve sending a team up North where they would come dangerously close to the Earth country. And since the war ended not too long ago, the Rock could still be sore from their loss and take unprecedented actions against any Leaf team they see. Ultimately, he would have to ask the former Hokage as to what he should do, whether that is to send a team to discover the document's origin and perhaps learn what had happened to the island. Minato hoped that the attempt be made. Given the calamity they had apparently suffered, it would be unfortunate if the mystery of the Hidden Crystal Village were to remain unsolved.

Minato rested his elbows on the desk and rubbed his face to wake him up some more.

Genma slightly grinned. "I take it that Kushina has been quite touchy since she became pregnant?"

Minato nodded. "Being Hokage requires late nights sometimes and when I come home late she wakes up and isn't really too happy."

"Yashira was the same way when she was pregnant with the twins. But after Satori and Tenten were born, it seemed like that when Yashira was pregnant was almost paradise compared to what infants will put you through. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore the twins but I did have a lot of sleepless nights during that time and I guarantee you will too, Hokage-sama."

Minato pondered the thought and nodded. "She is due this month so we'll have to see."

"So have you thought of a name yet, Hokage-sama?"

"Well, Kushina and I want to name the kid after the main character from one of Jiraiya's books."

"Which is?"

"Naruto."

"Namikaze Naruto. It certainly has an interesting sound to it. But for some reason it would sound better if he took Kushina's last name and be called Uzumaki Naruto."

Minato thought about it and smiled. "Yeah, I think you're right. It does seem to have a better ring to it."


	2. Finally Getting To It

The Third Hokage sat behind his desk in his office that was just given back to him. The office itself was empty with the exception of himself and the desk. He hadn't had the time to have things put back in here. The belongings of the Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, were just moved out the day before. It had been almost a week since the Minato had given his life to save the village from the Kyuubi. Aside from making sure that no one talked about who the Kyuubi had been sealed into, he had a meeting with the elders about the Hidden Crystal village. Sarutobi felt that a team should be sent up there but the elders didn't see it that way.

Homura and Koharu walked into his office dressed in their normal ensemble of flowing, earth-toned robes. They stood before the Hokage's desk with hands clasped in front of them.

"Good morning, Elders." Sarutobi said.

Sarutobi saw Homura's jaw clench. Something was definitely annoying the elders this morning.

"We need to talk about Uzumaki Naruto. We need to watch him very closely, especially when he gets older. We can't allow people to know what truly happened that fateful night with the Kyuubi."

"Some already know but anyone who talks about it will be severely punished."

"How will you be sure that he doesn't find out once he gets older?" Koharu asked.

"I can't guarantee that he'll never find out but it could be in our best interest if he does find out at some point." Sarutobi said.

"Unacceptable. He must never know."

"We'll see what happens. Aside from that, I would like to send a team up to the Hidden Crystal village and see if we can aide them in some way."

"The answer is no. We don't know what the Rock will do if they find us near their borders. They could start an incident that would involve us getting into another war. We can't afford another war. The last one was too costly." Homura said.

The Third hid his face behind his folded hands. He knew they could be right about the Rock but chances are they could also be wrong. The Third stood up, turned and looked out the window behind him. Fog enshrouded most of the village in these early morning hours but it was still clear enough to see people out and about.

"It would take about a week to get there and besides there would be nothing to investigate when they arrived.

"I know that when we heard about that village it was too late to do anything about it. Still, they had the means to send people out. Don't you wonder what finally became of them?"

The elders' position seemed a bit simplistic, the Third decided. There was no telling what really happened to the villagers of Hidden Crystal.

"It's assumed that they either escaped the island or died with it." Koharu said.

"It's not nice to assume." The Third said. "Didn't Senju-sensei teach you that?"The elders didn't respond. "Not truly knowing is the perfect reason to go."

"Perhaps. But now is not the time to do it."

The Third didn't entirely agree with that statement. Might as well wait until he was dead before sending a team up there.

PRESENT DAY

Aoba and his team stood in front of Tsunade. It wasn't just Aoba's team that consisted of Satori, Hanako and Junshin. It also had Tenten, Seika, Gintokin, and Yukino. It was the same team that traveled to the island of Soukutsu. They worked so well together and Tsunade agreed that a four man cell wouldn't be enough for this assignment.

"What can you tell us about the Hidden Crystal?" Aoba asked.

"The island was destroyed about fifteen years ago. We received a message from them two months after they predicted the demise of the island."

"Fifteen years ago? And we're just now getting to this?" Junshin asked.

"Around that time," Satori said with his senbon moving up and down in his mouth as he spoke. "Konoha had just finished its war with the Rock and some believed that the Rock may try something against us and possibly start another war. In those days they'd do anything to get rid of Konoha."

"You're right there." Junshin said. "According to Rock history, they were pretty sore about the whole thing. They still kinda are."

In response to the former Rock ninja's words, Tsunade could not help but glance to the wall that housed portraits of the four previous Hokages. Grimly, she reminded herself that in addition to the promise of peace, the portraits also represented decades of conflict, both victorious and damaging.

Tsunade almost smiled as she watched the exchange between two colleagues. Even in the face of what was shaping up to be more than a milk run, Satori and Junshin were trading information both relevant and trivial, just as they would if they were attempting to solve a looming crisis.

_Some things never change._

"The elders probably believed that sending someone up there would be a waste of time because it would've been too late to really help the village." Satori said.

"I don't understand." Seika said. "If there's nothing we can do for these people, then why show us the message at all?"

"I think we could inspect the area and see what had ultimately become of the survivors of the Hidden Crystal village."

"Is it ok to send us out with Akatsuki out there just itching to strike?" Hanako asked.

"Akatsuki has been a threat since its formation. It's possible that they could be more of a threat now than before but we have no indication of them actually attacking us. Not yet anyway."

Tsunade hid her face behind her clasped hands. She knew that some people were still not too happy with this team and its current leader due to the tragedy at Soukutsu. She wanted to make people believe that this group could do the job they signed up to do. She wanted them to make a good name for themselves again. They deserved it.

"So how long would it take us to get there?" Tenten asked.

"About a week." Tsunade said.

"That's a bit of a haul." Gin said. "Oh well. I guess it can't be helped."

"You have your mission." Tsunade said. "Head up to the site of the former Hidden Crystal Village, see if you can find out what happened to them and then report back to me. Dismissed."

Aoba nodded to the Fifth Hokage. Tsunade watched as the team walked out of her office.

_You will regain the respect taken from you. If it takes the rest of my days, I will see to that._


	3. To The Rescue

A few days later, the team from Konoha was nearing the northern coast of the mainland. Aoba led the team through the tree limbs as they practically flew through the air only needing to push off of a tree limb every couple hundred feet.

"We're almost to the coast." Aoba reported. "Once we reach the coast we'll break for a bit then use a boat to head for the last known location of the island."

"Going on missions that have to do with islands is getting rather old." Satori said.

"As long as there are no scavengers, chakra spikes or vortexes, or even mimic ninjas, I think I'll manage." Junshin said.

At that moment, Gin stopped his movement. Seika was the first to notice and he too stopped. "Gin, what's wrong?"

Seika's question caused the rest of the team to stop. They all focused on Gin waiting for him to produce an answer. His eyes darted from side to side.

"Something is wrong." He said.

Then suddenly, the air was filled with a high pitched scream.

At the sound of the scream, the team ducked into defensive stances. "Where did that come from?" Aoba asked.

"This way." Gin said.

The team followed Gin west in the direction of the Sound country, if indeed it was still called that. Minutes later, they cleared the trees and saw a village that was under attack. Bodies lay strewn all over the place. It looked like just random thugs were attacking. They didn't have any visible village affiliation or anything of that nature. Citizens of the village ran around in a panic trying to get away from their attackers. One woman held her daughter, who was no older than twelve, by the hand heading for the village gates. One of the attackers on horseback came galloping in and lassoed the woman by her neck. She let go of her daughter's hand as she was drug off to some unknown place. The girl reached out in futility hoping her mother could reach her but her mother was soon pulled out of sight leaving the girl all alone and crying.

A shadow appeared in front of the crying girl. She looked up and saw a man with his sword drawn above his head. He looked down in disgust at the girl and his arm began its descent upon the girl. She quickly closed her eyes hoping that the inevitable wouldn't come. She felt the slight vibration of something hitting the ground next to her feet. He slowly opened her eyes to see a broken blade lying next to her foot. She then raised her head to see the man wide eyed holding his broken sword. She was curious what had broken his sword and why he was just standing there not doing anything. Then she saw his shirt begin to turn red and then ultimately he fell. As he fell, he gave way for the girl to see a man standing there with his back to her and he too was holding a sword. He was tall, had dark hair and wore a shirt with gold lining. He turned around to face the girl.

"I'm Gin, my friends and I will take care of these guys for you so don't worry."

The girl smiled as hope filled her saddened mind. She saw more people run in and began fighting the thugs. One of them slammed his hand on the ground and in a cloud of smoke; two large cats appeared and began to attack their enemies. Another girl pulled needles from her hair, letting it down past her shoulders, and threw them into two charging thugs. After the girl did some weird movements with her hands, lightning shot from the sky and hit the two attackers. Shortly after that the battle was over.

Gin held the girl close to him as if he was protecting her from something that might happen.

"We need to find her mother." He said.

Gin's tone to that statement sparked curiosity in Hanako.

"You're a bit out of your normal character, Gin." She said.

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'Why does he have this interest in this girl?' And the reason is because she reminds me of someone."

Hanako just nodded at Gin's answer. Junshin and Tenten came around a corner with a woman between them. "Hey, look who we found." Junshin said.

"Mother!" The girl said running up to her. The mother knelt down and hugged her daughter tightly.

"Makes you all warm inside, doesn't it?" Satori said grinning.

The mother looked up to the saviors of their tiny village. "Are you guys from Konoha?" She asked.

Aoba nodded. "Yes, we're here to truly find out what happened to the Hidden Crystal Village."

The woman seemed to be shocked by Aoba's statement. "It sank of course. The ground opened up and took the whole island with it."

"And the people?" Hanako asked.

"Some survived. Others did not." She said sounding depressed.

"Where are the survivors now?" Seika asked.

"Some live here and others moved to a nearby island."

"Is the Kurikage in this village or on the island?" Aoba asked.

"He died when the island sank. His son lives in the other village on the island. He currently is the leader of the two villages. We no longer have the shinobi numbers like we used some feel that the overuse of chakra caused the quakes."

Satori did his best to keep from letting out a small laugh. Yukino caught it and lightly elbowed him. It was possible to cause earthquakes using Doton jutsus but a quake being caused by overuse of chakra seems ridiculous.

"The only ones who practice the techniques of the shinobi are the ones who guard the leader."

"He doesn't call himself the Kurikage?" Tenten asked.

The woman shook her head. "No, because we no longer consider ourselves to live in a hidden village."

"How far is the island from here?" Seika asked.

"Not far. You can see the island from the shoreline."

"Good. We'll need to head over there and speak to your leader."

"Actually, he's on his way now. We sent a messenger bird just as the attack started. He should be here any time now."

At that moment, Hanako's attention shot elsewhere. "Aoba-sensei, someone is coming."

At that moment the Konoha team was surrounded by ninjas wearing the head protector of the Hidden Crystal village. They looked like they were ready to fight. The woman stepped forward in protest.

"No! Wait! These aren't the bandits that came in here earlier. They are from Konoha. They saved us."

A person stepped forward looking like he was in charge. He wasn't that much older looking that Aoba.

"You're from Konoha?" He asked.

Aoba nodded. "That's right."

"You saved this village from bandits?"

"Yeah we did." Satori said.

"Well then, we are in your debt. I am Daiyajin, the leader of the former Hidden Crystal village."


	4. Guests

A short time later, the Konoha team was escorted into a room that looked like an office of a Kage. The room itself wasn't really all that fancy with the exception of some of the furniture placed in the room. Giant windows were set into the wall behind the desk to allow anyone to look out to the ocean. Daiyajin sat behind the desk and stood up as the team entered.

"As leader of the village, I welcome you. Once it was brought to my attention that you saved our outpost village, I decided that I should give you the proper greeting."

Aoba smiled and nodded. "From what we've seen, it's a magnificent place."

"I'm glad you approve. One question I have is why have you come? We really don't get many travelers, much less travelers who are from another hidden village."

"We were sent here to figure out what truly happened to the Hidden Crystal Village. A messenger came into our village about fifteen years ago from Hidden Crystal. The messenger collapsed and died just as he passed through the gates. Upon reading the message, it was realized that it had taken two months for the message to get to us and by that time, it would've been too late to mount a rescue using the time frame that your people expected for the island to be destroyed." Choosing his next words as carefully as possible, he added, "With that in mind, those in positions of leadership at the time deemed other priorities to be in greater need of attention. Several events, some with long-lasting repercussions that were both positive and negative, transpired in the period soon after the messenger arrived."

"I think I understand what you mean. To be honest, I'm not even sure if anyone involved with the messages sent out from the village survived the catastrophe. Most people today have either forgotten about them or haven't learned about them. As you said, other concerns became more important after a time."

While Aoba and Daiyajin were talking, Yukino slightly moved her hand to touch Satori's to get his attention. Noticing the subtly of her touch, Satori slightly turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eye. He saw Yukino lower her head and covered her eyes with her hand. When she lowered her hand, her Sekigan was activated. She wanted him to do the same since she went to the trouble of getting his attention. He did the same motions and now his Seikigan abilities were now active. Normally, Yukino would've just viewed the conversation by herself but she wanted to have a second opinion.

Daiyajin looked down to his desk and then back up to the Konoha team. "I apologize for cutting this short but I have a meeting that I have to attend. I will have someone escort you to the place where you will be staying. Once my meeting is over I can come by and possibly give you a little tour of the village."

Aoba nodded. "We would appreciate that. Thank you."

At that, the team was led out of the room by one of Daiyajin's aides.

Once they had reached their lodging, Aoba turned to Satori and Yukino. "I noticed you two had activated your Sekigan. Is there a reason for that?"

"Something wasn't sitting right with me, Aoba-sensei." Yukino said. "I asked Satori to do the same so I could get a second opinion."

"What did you find out?"

"His body temperature rose as the conversation continued. And once agreed to end the meeting, he relaxed a bit."

"I saw the same thing." Satori said.

Aoba wasn't sure what Daiyajin was hiding or if he was at all, he couldn't shake his gut feeling that there was something more going on.

_Paranoid much? _

The thought teased him. Could some sort of residual bitterness, brought about by the circumstances that had brought them here in the first place, be making him overly cautious and causing him to second guess every action? Perhaps.

_Then again, perhaps not._

Along with Daiyajin, several other council members took their places at the large table that was the most significant feature of the ruling body's meeting chamber. As did nearly everything else in the room, the table's design reflected function rather than form. The chamber's sole capitulation to decoration was a painting that portrayed a sunrise as seen from the botanical gardens that had once graced the center of the capital city of the previous island. Rendered by one of the elder citizens who had survived the island's destruction, it had been presented to the council as a gift upon the completion of the new village.

"My friends," Daiyajin began as he settled himself into his seat, "this is a wondrous time for us." He turned to Jikei, who was one of the scientific heads of the council. "Jikei, you have been troubled of late, how can we help?"

It was true that she was worried, about Daiyajin. Jikei was sure something was wrong with their leader, though it was nothing she could easily explain and there seemed to be nothing empirical on which to base her suspicions. At first, she had been hesitant to mention anything, wondering if Daiyajin simply was feeling the pressures of his enormous responsibilities. Daiyajin had always taken more work upon himself than normally was required for a person in his position, reluctant to delegate even the most mundane of tasks to other council members or his cadre of assistants. While this sometimes had the effect of aggravating some of the council members, it was one of the many qualities that endeared him to the rest of his people.

Even before ascending to the council as the head of the science department, Jikei had been a friend of Daiyajin for nearly all of her adult life.

"I have sensed some things that worry me, yes. While I was at first fearful of these visitors, I now believe that they truly wish to help us. Many of the people feel the same way, but many more are expressing uneasiness, even distrust, towards the visitors. Those feelings are being reflected here among the council, and I fear that our divided positions will only serve to make matters worse."

"Come now," Nidan said, head of security, are you suggesting we cast aside all thoughts of caution and welcome these newcomers with open arms? We cannot possibly know or understand their true motives after such a short time."

To Jikei's right, Council Member Ryudai spoke up. "As our leader has already pointed out, if they are seeking something then they hardly need to engage in deception, to say nothing of making the effort to rescue the villagers on the mainland outpost."

Nodding enthusiastically at her friend's words, Jikei was heartened to hear someone else echo her feelings. She knew that others on council felt the same way, and hoped that they would take advantage of this forum to air their views, as well.

Of course, not everyone felt the same way.

"Twenty villagers did die in the attempt." Nidan said.

"And a lot more would've suffered the same fate if they wouldn't have intervened." Ryudai countered.

"The point I'm laboring to make," Nidan replied, "is that we know nothing about these people. We do not know what they are capable of or anything of the sort. It may be a commonplace for them to execute subordinates for the most inane of reasons. Obviously I hope that is not true, and that they are who they claim to be. I have seen how uplifting their arrival has been for the populace, but I am saying we should remain cautious until we learn more about them. Is that so unreasonable?"

"Of course we should be careful, but not to the point where we begin to alienate them. They have traveled a great distance to find us and help us in anything we need. The Fire Country is probably the greatest country around. It's a lot better than that miserable Earth Country."

She had once traveled to the Earth Country and it's not really one to behold. She was convinced that what they had seen of the team from Konoha was but a tantalizing preview of their capabilities, and she could not wait to see them for herself. Though, their leader Yamashiro Aoba had allowed any questions that the villagers may have for them. Jikei had not yet had the opportunity to act on the gesture.

_Soon enough._

"But what is the price of that aid, Jikei?" Daiyajin asked. "Suppose we accept their help. What will they ask for in return? Will we be willing or even able to give whatever that might be? What if they present us with an ultimatum?"

"With all respect, Daiyajin." Ryudai said. "What could we possibly have that they could not take by force? WE have seen enough of their abilities to know that they can wipe us out without a second thought if they so desire."

Ryudai's comments sparked several moments of debate, with the members doing their best to outtalk one another as they debated the positives and the negatives, before Daiyajin called the meeting back to order.

"It is obvious that we will have much to discuss in the days ahead. There is no need to rush into any decision." Looking to Jikei he added. "You have given me much to think about, my friend. While I am not yet completely comfortable with our guests, I feel better about them now than I did before listening to you. Once again your guidance has proven invaluable."

After determining that there was no further council business, Diayaji adjourned the meeting. As the members moved to file out of the chamber and return to their various duties, Jikei felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Ryujai smiling at her.

"Do not worry. They will come around, but they must do so on their own. Daiyajin has always done what is best for us regardless of his own feelings. Soon even he will realize that these Konoha people are a blessing."

"I hope you're right. I understand his caution but it is not normal for Daiyajin to be so resistant to any new idea. His open-mindedness has always been his hallmark as a leader."

Ryudai chuckled. "Do not jude him too harshly. After all, how many times has his leadership been tested in this manner?"

Unable to help herself, Jikei returned the laughter as the pair began to make their way toward the door. Before they could exit the council chamber, they heard a voice behind them.

"Ryudai, Jikei." It was Nidan, and and Jikei saw from the look on his face that the security head was evidently unhappy about something. "A moment if you please."

His own features clouding with concern, Ryudai asked, "What is it, Nidan? Are you still troubled?"

"I have a delicate matter to discuss with both of you." Nidan replied. Looking about the room as if afraid he might be overheard, Nidan gestured toward another door with his hand. "Perhaps it would be better if we speak in my office."

Jikei exchanged confused looks with Ryudai. What was this about? Was there some pressing security situation that required their attention? Even if that were so, such matters were almost always discussed with the rest of the council. They followed the security minister through the door separating the council chamber from the small room he used for his office. Like Nidan himself, the workspace was a picture of order and efficiency.

The only things that seemed out of place were the two security guards were wating in the room as the two council members stepped through the door.

"What is this about?" Jikei asked as Nidan entered the room behind them and the doors closed behind him.

Instead of replying to her, the security head instead turned to his two subordinates.

"Dispose of them quietly."


	5. Replacement

Though his smile might say otherwise, Daori was not a happy person. He was a mere lackey for the building he worked in. It was a place for guests to stay and he had to tend to their needs as far as food and other means. It wasn't the job he hated it was the people. He didn't like these new comers. They get strangers all the time but they only stay for a short time and are normal. These people were shinobi and from another hidden village. He didn't want to serve them; he didn't want to be near them, hell he didn't want to be in the same building as them. He was slightly annoyed to the fact that they came 15 years after the destruction of their home island wanting to help. They could've helped the people who survived but no, they come now. There were other people in the building that he could've attended to but why did he have to be chosen to attend to them. When he brought them their food, it was a supreme act of willpower for Daori to retain his fixed smile. He couldn't stand their politeness. What did they have to be polite about? What right did they have?

Then he felt the presence of somebody behind him. He turned around and to his surprise saw a man not much older than himself. He looked like one of the lord's elite guards but he was wearing a uniform like his but why would an elite guard be working here?

"Can I help you?" Daori asked.

"I'm here to attend to the guests from Konoha." The man replied.

"I'm supposed to do that. We don't normally switch off unless something drastic has happened and that hasn't happened."

The man didn't reply and Daori's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The assignments are clear indicated on the duty roster. I was given the assignment of attending the people from Konoha. If there has been a change in the assignments for today, I have not been told. I'll go check the roster."

He was not surprised when the man moved to block him from leaving. Obviously he didn't want him to leave. Surprise did come, however, when the man did strange formations with his hands. His movements ended with each hand was in a similar position and placed together but one was slightly higher than the other. Daori suddenly remembered what the man did. He did handseals. Handseals meant the use of chakra which was only allowed to be used by the elite guards that protected Daiyajin.

"Shouton: Fukumu Kudakeru no jutsu." (Crystal Element: Contain and Shatter Technique)

Daori was encased in a crystal and then it cracked then shattered, leaving nothing. The man's eyes widened as he remembered that using chakra in a village that doesn't really use chakra would be detected by anyone attuned to it. Meaning that the Konoha ninjas would sense it and be there in few moments.

Sure enough, the Konoha ninjas appeared at the scene. Nothing was in the hallway lobby with the exception of a window and chairs. The team looked around and saw nothing.

"I was sure there was someone here." Aoba said. "I felt their chakra. Yukino, Satori, use your Sekigans and see if anyone one is nearby."

Kalsha was along the ledge outside of the open window. His eyes widened when he heard the order. He then leapt up to the roof.

Yukino and Satori's eye colors changed into the Sekigan color of purple. They scanned the area only seeing the body heat of their comrades and that was all.

They both shook their head. "Nothing, Aoba-sensei." Yukino said.

Aoba sighed. "All right, let's head back to our room."

The team turned and headed back. Aoba began to walk but then heard a very faint crunch beneath his foot. He lifted his foot and inspected the ground. He could see a very small crystallized piece of something on the floor. He picked it up and examined it.

"Hmm…" He thought.

Kalsha reached the roof with hardly any effort. In fact there was no effort at all. He positioned his hands into the seal of the Ram and in a cloud of smoke he was now Daori. He looked himself over as best he could without a mirror and was pleased.

_You make a fair…a fair…whatever his name was._

Unlike many of his peers, Kalsha had no passion for killing. There had been several occasions where he had killed without hesitation, his body and mind reacting in accordance with his training. In each of those instances he had done so because he was forced to conclude that assassination was the only option available to him.

This was one of those occasions.

It had been a risk assuming as a worker here, but it would have been even more hazardous had Kalsha had chosen to mimic someone who would be recognized as not being a worker here. He had not been comfortable with that choice, either, arguing with his superiors that someone might notice the irregularity of a person being someplace they shouldn't.

How many more would have to die in order to preserve the secrecy of the operation. That the arrival of the Konoha team had introduced a complication into the carefully crafted plan was an understatement of enormous proportions. Given Konoha's predilection for interfering at the precise inopportune moment no matter the issue, he wondered if their training academies offered a curriculum to foster such talent.

As Kalsha had told his superiors at the pre-mission briefing, concealing their efforts from the villagers was a simple task, yet doing so in the presence of the Konoha team was something else entirely. If left to their own devices, they would eventually surmise that something more was in play here.

There was nothing for him to do now except carry on with his own assignment. He expected the team to be gone from the area he recently occupied but he decided to play it safe and take the stairs back down to the area and with his new identity in place, Kalsha could now take over duties of the recently departed Daori, and as far as the rest of the world was concerned, Daori was simply carrying out his assigned duties. There was no choice, not if their plans here would have any chance of success.


	6. Suspicions

Satori and Gin now toured part of the village. It was a part that no one really ventured to but there were some people there none the less. The people here were workers of the plant that powered the village. They passed several villagers along the way, with many of the workers stopping their activities to get a look at the ninjas from Konoha.

"Welcome." One greeter offered, smiling as he stepped forward. The expression warming the villager's features showed not a hint of unease or distrust, and the jonin could not resist returning his infectious smile.

_It's going to take them a while to get used to us._

The two Konoha ninjas followed as their tour guide, Fei, led them to the main level and control center. They spent several minutes touring the control room, pointing out the current status of the village's power efforts. This was the main facility that powered the entire village and not only that, but it also had research facilities that researched why the previous island went under fifteen years ago. As Fei was talking to the two ninjas, a person appeared behind him. He turned around to find that it was a worker of the plant.

"I need you a moment." The worker said.

"If you'll excuse me." Fei said slightly bowing to Satori and Gin.

As Fei went to his subordinate, Satori and Gin found themselves allowed to wander the control room, spending the next ninety minutes or so overseeing the operation. It was obvious from the way the villagers carried out their responsibilities and communicated with one another that they were well versed in their roles. Satori found himself impressed with their hosts. It was Gin, however, that spoiled his good mood.

"Satori-kun, there have been a few things I've noticed while we've been touring the plant."

"Like what?"

"This plant was designed to keep power to this village and investigate why the other village sank. Well, unless I'm wrong, it would seem that the way that some of the things that work here are going away from that norm."

"Could you be wrong?" Satori asked.

"I doubt it. Nothing on their systems appears to register anything out of the ordinary but from what I have observed, I suspect that this is deliberate. These changes are subtle, so small they avoid detection by their system. Changes using chakra would be undetected by these systems since these people don't use chakra like we do."

Turning his friend's theory over in his mind, Satori found himself not liking what he was coming up with on his own. "How long do you think this has been going on?"

"I can't say for sure but my guess would be that their results were not supposed to be right away."

"If you're right, then we're talking about the work of a Crystal ninja. How many people among the village's population have that kind of skill, along with the opportunity to make their changes and keep an eye on things to see that no one else figures out what's going on?"

It was a physical effort to keep from looking over his shoulder at any of the villagers. Who among them, if any, might be a suspect?

Despite the misgivings held by many, Satori was convinced that the very future of this village would almost certainly reach a point where survival was critical.

But were any of them capable of sabotage to further their desires?

In a small desolate section of the island that was almost desert like and that no one dared to go, lie ruins of the people who inhabited the area long before the villagers from the Hidden Crystal Village came. This particular place constantly held overcast skies. It looked like it was going to storm any minute now. A hooded man and two subordinates approached one of the ruins. The hooded man pushed back his hood and revealed himself to be Nidan. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll. He muttered the words on the scroll to himself. A few lightning bolts struck the ground, knocking the subordinates to the ground. One lightning bolt struck Nidan. He did not cry out in pain or agony. He welcomed the bolt from the heavens. When the barrage was over, the subordinates looked to Nidan in shock.

"Nidan-sama?" They said in unison.

His older features were now gone. They were replaced by a smoother looking face that now housed a purplish tint along with blank eyes. A sinister grin appeared on his face.

"Now I shall do to this village what my father once did to our previous home."

"What about the group from Konoha, Nidan-sama?"

"We'll deal with them while we are dealing with the island." Nidan said.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Satori was sure that there was more of an edge to the attention he and his companions were receiving from the villagers.

_Not everyone_

Quite a few of the workers they passed in the corridors of the plant's main level continued to exhibit the same type of curiosity and warmth toward the visitors as Satori had seen all day.

Still, he had not mistaken the look of keen interest on the face of Fei and his assistant as he and Gin had left the control room, had he? Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Had Gin's suspicion touched off a streak of paranoia?

Perhaps, but it also was possible that something out of the sorts just might be going on here. If an act of sabotage was underway, then lives could be in danger. He and Gin had a responsibility at least to investigate the possibility. Gin brought him out of his thoughts.

"Satori-kun, I picked up on a small chakra source."

"Where is it coming from?" Satori asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's close."

_Man, it would be nice to have Neji and Hinata here right now._

It wouldn't hurt to try and see if he could see the heat from it, as long as the rest of the machines wouldn't interfere.

"Sekigan."

Satori's eyes changed color and he scanned around the area for anything out of the ordinary that might provide a clue for Gin's chakra reading. Then he saw it.

"What is that?"

It was a small oblong device that gave off a different heat source than the rest of the plant's machines.

"That's it." Gin said.

"I wonder what is making it send out chakra like that." Satori said. "Are they related to what you figured out earlier?"

"More than likely." Gin said. "And judging by its set up, it's been here for awhile."

"We have to notify Aoba-sensei about this." Satori said.

They turned to leave but were stopped by two men who wore a set of uniforms. Judging by their posture, Satori assumed that they were part of the elite guards.

"Shiranui Satori, Zaihou Gintokin. Forgive the intrusion, but the head of security has asked us to find is a situation that he feels requires your attention. Nidan-sama will explain everything when we arrive. He has asked us to escort you to his meeting room." The man held up an open hand to indicate back the way they had come.

"We'd love to stay and chat but my leader's expecting us back with the rest of the group. Has this been cleared through him?"

"His is being notified as we speak." One of them said.

The sales pitch might've worked if his companion had not chosen that particular moment to place his hand on his holster attached to his belt. He realized his mistake, too, but not before catching Satori looking at him. The Jonin's eyes locked with his and both men knew the ruse was over.

The man pulled out a large kunai and charged at Satori with it. Gintokin was the first to move. He whacked the man's wrist with the scabbard of the sword and then pulled the hilt out with enough force to hit the man in the face and knock him over. The other man was practically on top of Gin when the gold eyed ninja spun around and roundhouse kicked the man across the face.

"Well that works too." Satori said as he re-holstered his sai weapons.

"DO NOT MOVE!" Another voice abruptly shouted from behind them.

"They are bringing reinforcements. We must leave now." Gin said.

Satori looked up to see more elite guards running down the corridor in their direction.

Satori did a series of handseals. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.

"KATON: Gokakyu no jutsu." (Fire Element: Great Fireball Technique.)

He blew a big fireball at the reinforcements, causing them to stop in their tracks and head the other way. That gave him and Gin enough time to get through the door and to the outside.

As soon as they both stepped outside, their vision went dark as they both fell to the ground, unconscious.

Aoba and his team minus Satori and Gin stood with Daiyajin in his council chambers. The piece of crystal Aoba had found in the corridor lied on Daiyajin's desk.

"So what you're telling me is that someone used a Shouton jutsu here in the village?"

"That's correct. I found it after we had felt someone's chakra in the corridor outside of our room. I was under the assumption that people here other than your elite guards didn't use chakra."

"That's right. But they only use it for their duties of protection." Daiyajin said.

Then suddenly someone bust through the door. The man was breathing heavily and didn't look like of any importance as far as being on the council goes.

"Daiyajin-sama, we have bandits raiding the outer rim of the island." He said.

"What?" Daiyajin said as he stood up.

"We'll go." Aoba said. "We can get there in no time."

"Go. I'll send as much help as I can after you."

"Shouldn't we get Satori and Gin?" Junshin asked.

"There's no time." Aoba said.

The ninjas from Konoha darted out the door and within seconds they were outside heading for the outer rim of the island.

Hanako noticed concern in her leader's face. She couldn't see his eyes because of his sunglasses but she knew there was concern there.

"Aoba-sensei, what is it?"

"I have this feeling that the attack on the outer village on the mainland and the outer rim of the village are somehow connected. I believe that the attacks aren't just some random occurrence. It might be work from within."

A sudden chill ran down Hanako's spine at the comment. Someone from within the village had deliberately caused such an event. Why would someone do this from within their own village? Naturally, Itachi, Orochimaru, Danzo. Those three people came to Hanako's mind as plotting against Konoha. Did these people from the Hidden Crystal pose a threat to Konoha and if so, would they attempt to take action against the team as she and her teammates tried to render assistance to the village's victims?

_There's nothing you can do about that now, _she admonished herself. _Shut up and play the cards you're dealt._

It did not matter to the people on the outer rim that there might be others seeking to harm her and her teammates. It was not relevant to those same people currently in distress that Satori and Gin were not here. The people on the outer rim could not wait for circumstances to be ideal before a rescue was attempted. They were in trouble, they were dying and they needed help. Right now.

To be continued in Naruto Shippuuden: A Time To Harvest.


End file.
